The finai sample of 75 participants was randomly divided in to three groups of (n=
25). One group received Stress Inoculation Training, the second group received skills workshop and the third group was a waiting-list control group where no intervention was offered in the duration of the study. A detailed presentation of the interventions and their contents follows below.
3.6.1 Stress Inoculation Training
For this study, SIT was conducted in a group setting.Itwas conducted in five 1 hour sessions. During the first session, participants and the facilitator introduced themselves to one another. The importance of maintaining confidentiality and respect for each other within the group was emphasized. Meichenbaum&Butler's (1980) model of test anxiety was introduced and test anxiety was conceptualized. This involved the discussion of the four components of test anxiety. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences of test anxiety. The group also discussed the different methods they have used to cope with their experiences in the past and how effective they found these methods to be. The group was then led through a rapid relaxation exercise (Ottens, 1991) and was given pamphlets to guide them with practicing this exercise at home. This session constituted more of the educational phase in SIT.
In the second session, rapid relaxation was reviewed. Participants were then led through Progressive Muscle Relaxation to help them deal with the physiological arousal of test anxiety. The participants' responses to these exercises were discussed. This session was also used to introduce problem focused coping as well as cognitive restructuring.
The third session was used to help participants familiarize themselves with skills already learnt through role playing and rehearsal of coping methods with imagined stressors. Cognitive restructuring focused on negative self talk that was related to test taking, the self, competition, value conflicts and other thoughts that could interfere with test preparation and test taking. Participants' received homework assignments that involved practice in identifying and disputing their irrational beliefs.
The fourth session was used to educate participants on the practical skills they need to help themselves cope better with tests to feel adequately prepared prior to the test. This included skills such as time management, good note-taking, consulting with lecturers and classmates prior to the test and so forth. Participants were asked to construct a schedule of their planned activities related to preparing for the examinations. The coping skills and application phases overlapped. As cognitive restructuring began, that is, as each skill was presented in session, role play facilitated their application to real life experiences when taking tests.
In the fifth session, the specific SIT techniques presented were reviewed. The participants' reactions to the group experience were discussed. The participants spoke about what their expectations were before the group, whether their expectations were met as well as how they felt about being in the group. Participants were then scheduled for their post treatment assessment session.
3.6.2 Skills Workshop
This intervention was a single one-hour session. Participants were equipped with practical skills for test preparation. These practical skills included such things as the importance of proper note taking, consolidating notes before the test, time management, using study time table and methods of revision. The workshop also involved skills for tackling different types of exam questions such as essay, multiple choice questions and so forth. The workshop did not look into the cognitive and physiological processes that occur during the test in test anxious students. Itis mentioned to students in these workshops that they must remain calm in a test but they are not taught how to do it.
3.6.3 The Waiting-list Control Group
Participants inthis group did not take part in any intervention during the course of the study. These participants were informed that more students had shown interest in the study than was expected and that their treatment would be delayed by six weeks and that at the end of the six weeks they will be invited back to participate in the study. After the six week delay, the participants in the waiting list control group were invited to take part in the study. Treatment was given to this group of participants following re-testing their levels of test anxiety.
All three groups were asked not to divulge any information to other participants or any other person about what they were doing in the study as this might influence the results.
The intervention was conducted before first semester exams. After the test, the TAS was re-administered to the participants to assess their perceived/subjective anxiety levels associated with the exams.
3.7 Statistical Analysis of Data
The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme, version 13 was used to analyse the data in this study (Brace, Kemp & Snelgar, 2000). For the purpose of this study, a one-way ANOVA with three levels was used to test the hypothesis. This is a test that is used to compare means of several groups.Itis an extension of the independent group's t-test to accommodate multiple groups.Ittests the assumption that several groups are equal and it is a statistical method that determines whether a significant relation exists between variables.
The results of this study as well as the discussion are presentedinthe next chapter.
Chapter four
Results